Job Profile

Core job information
Job Title / Clinical Trials Practitioner
Dept./School/Inst. / WHRI / Section/Centre / Heart Centre, WHRI
Career Family / Technical / Grade / 4
Working hours per week / 35 / Appointment period / One year
Reports to (job title) / Nurse Manager / Current location / Heart Centre – Charterhouse Square
Job purpose
The WHRI Heart Centre provides a flow of innovative new therapies from the laboratory to the patient suffering from heart disease across north-east London and beyond. The Centre is unique in its ability to encompass laboratory work with patient engagement through its internal clinical trials unit which can call on a broad range of clinical experts from Queen Mary, University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust to run clinical trials in multiple therapeutic areas specialising in but not limited to; cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, renal and metabolic. The Heart Centre forms part of Barts Health Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit.
This post is funded by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN) North Thames, Divisions 2 (Cardiovascular, metabolic and endocrine, renal and diabetes) and 6 (respiratory) to support the delivery of high quality UKCRN portfolio research. The post holder will be based at the William Harvey Clinical Research Centre.
The purpose of this role is to assist with recruitment of patients to clinical trials undertaken in the CRC. This will involve liaising with clinical services to recruit patients from specialist clinics The role will predominantly be supporting research at Barts Hospital within the cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrinology, renal and diabetes specialty areas. The post-holder will be responsible for processing of the patient records to identify NHS patients who may be suitable to approach to ask if they wish to participate in a research project, obtaining informed consent from patients, undertaking investigations, assessments and tests where the results are required by the research team, to ensure patient safety by reviewing and recording adverse events. The post-holder will work collaboratively with the clinical trials team and the wider multi-disciplinary team in the management of caseloads of clinical trials patients.
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
Requirements / Essential/Desirable
Qualifications / Registered Nurse or minimum of a first degree or equivalent. This position is not limited to individuals from a nursing background. Individuals holding a relevant first degree with an interest in clinical research and working in the health care environment should apply. / Essential
Experience /
  • Experience in research
  • Experience of working with staff from a range of different professional backgrounds and varying levels of seniority
  • Knowledge of and preferably experience in, the conducting of clinical trials.
  • Experience of clinical trials and research approvals process
  • Experience of working in clinical or health research environment
/ Essential
Essential
Desirable
Desirable
Desirable
Knowledge, skills & abilities /
  • Thorough understanding of GCP & Clinical Trials regulations, and appropriate training and certification.
  • Ability to integrate into a wide and diverse research network.
  • Proven interpersonal and communication skills to work with clinical and management colleagues at all levels across a range of organisations.
  • Computer literacy, including word processing, spreadsheets, and databases
  • Experience and skill in managing datasets.
  • Experience with clinical data collection.
/ Desirable
Essential
Essential
Essential
Essential
Essential
Attitude & disposition /
  • Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team
  • Flexible and co-operative, while ensuring compliance to policy
  • Excellent presentational skills
/ Essential
Essential
Essential
Other circumstances /
  • Willingness to work across different sites.
/ Essential
Freedom to A
t & Decision Making (depth of control, supervision received, use of judgement & initiative, analytical ability)
Main Duties and Responsibilities of the Role
The primary role of this post will be to work as an effective member of the clinical trials team to facilitate the progress of these projects to time and target.
Main duties:
  • Participates in the identification of potential patients for Clinical Trials being conducted at the CRC.
  • Evaluates eligibility of potential patients.
  • GP practice and Specialist Clinic visits to search the practice database for suitable patients.
  • Discussions with GPs about any patients identified from the searches.
  • Writing to prospective patients with information about studies.
  • Assisting with mailouts to surgeries and patients.
  • Arranging pre-screen appointments.
  • Conducting pre-screens.
  • Liaising with specialist clinics to identify and recruit patients to trials, particularly the diabetes, renal and metabolic, hypertension and respiratory clinics at the Royal London and Barts.
  • Screening patients for clinical trials.
  • To establish and maintain good working relationships with supporting clinical services.
  • Assist in the day to day running of clinical trials.
Other
  • To act at all times in the interests of patients and the organisation to ensure Good Clinical Practice.
  • To maintain patient and professional confidentiality in all aspects of studies being conducted within the CRC.
  • To ensure they are fully aware of and comply with the College’s/Trust’s policies and procedures in relation to, inter alia, confidentiality, health and safety at work, COSHH regulations, infection control, safe handling of drugs, and all local safety rules regarding fire, chemical, radioisotope and gene manipulation hazards
  • The post holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the College's Equal Opportunities and Health & Safety policies.
  • The duties of the post outlined above are not exhaustive, and the post holder will be expected to be co-operative and flexible, undertaking such other duties as may reasonably be required of a member of administrative/secretarial staff in a university.
  • These duties will be subject to review in line with the changing requirements of the Centre, Institute, School or College, and with the development needs of the post holder as identified through regular review/appraisal processes.
  • The School of Medicine and Dentistry and the NHS Trust operate a No Smoking policy.

Working Environment
  • Working across different clinical environments within Barts Health Trust, liaising with clinical staff at different specialist clinics.
  • Maintain high level of professional knowledge in relevant areas, such as Good Clinical Practice, Research Governance, and the clinical trial regulations as applicable to trials supported by the WHRI Heart Centre.
  • To work as part of a multi-disclipinary team.

Freedom to Act & Decision Making
  • Decision making within the CRC will be along protocols and SOPs established in concordance with Good Clinical Practice.

Communication & Networking
  • Establish and maintain good channels of communication between relevant Trust departments and specialist clinics and with clinical leads and PIs on clinical trials.

Resource Management
  • Organisation and time management skills to manage and deliver a range of tasks and projects to deadlines.

This job description sets out the duties of the post at the time it was drawn up. Such duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the duties or level of responsibility entailed. Such variations are a common occurrence and cannot of themselves justify a reconsideration of the grading of the post.
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